


A Dog is for Life

by smolkatsuki



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anxiety Attacks, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Victor is a famous chef, and Yuuri ends up being his dog sitter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-19 05:43:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10633437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolkatsuki/pseuds/smolkatsuki
Summary: Never quite over Vicchan’s death, Yuuri has avoided getting a new dog. So when Phichit coerces him into dog-sitting for famous chef Victor Nikiforov, Yuuri is reluctant.But now Phichit’s made a promise, and Yuuri can’t back out now.(Victor, on the other hand, is ecstatic to find his new dog-sitter is this cute)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So my friend came up with this idea through a random generator, and it was way too cute to pass up. So here you have a dog sitter AU. The (admittedly terrible) title comes from the quote "A dog is for life, not just for Christmas."
> 
> This is just an introductory chapter, I don't know if the others will be longer in length, but we'll see. I'll be rating it explicit from the start, as this will have sexual content.
> 
> I have a tumblr that can be found at https://smol-katsuki.tumblr.com/ if you wanna come talk to me. (shameless plug)
> 
> Be sure to leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed this first chapter. I hope you like it!

Victor isn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

Laugh, because he’s finally found someone to look after Makkachin.

Cry, because he’s finally found someone to look after Makkachin.

It isn’t that he regrets reaching out to Chris with his problem, but still, the thought of leaving his dog alone with a potential stranger makes him feel a bit sick. The dog walker he’d been using previously had moved away, and Victor honestly couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Makkachin alone for even one day. So it had been pretty short notice.

Victor sighs, rubbing his forehead.

He calls Makkachin over and kneels in front of him, ruffling his ears, letting out a deep breath.

‘You have to be good for the new guy, okay, Makkachin? I know you will be, but I’m telling you just in case.’

People may call him strange for talking to his dog like he was a normal person, but this is something else Victor has been doing for as long as he can remember. At least, ever since he got Makkachin.

He lets the poodle wander back upstairs, and Victor stands up, making sure he looks presentable. He silently thanks the world that Makkachin doesn’t shed hairs everywhere. Brown fur on a white uniform doesn’t exactly scream professional, after all.

There’s a hesitant knock at the door, three taps that can barely be called knocks, really, and Victor opens the door to find–

Oh.

The man in front of him starts to speak, just as hesitantly as his knock on the door.

‘This… This is Victor Nikiforov’s house, right? I’m here to look after Makkachin?’ He phrases the last statement as a question instead, his voice slightly muffled from behind his scarf. Victor nods, and holds out his hand.

He didn’t expect someone so…

Well, so cute.

‘Yes, I am. You must be Yuuri, then.’ Yuuri takes his hand and shakes it. His grip is surprisingly strong, despite the thick winter gloves he’s wearing. Victor stares for a moment before remembering himself. ‘I have a list for you.’

Victor retrieves the list from his pocket. It details nearly everything he could think of while he was writing it. Makkachin’s likes and dislikes, what he can and can’t eat, how he likes to be walked… Now that he thinks about it, he probably didn’t need to go into all that much detail. 

But Yuuri smiles as he reads the list, a small half-smile that makes Victor want to beam back.

‘Everything you need to know is on there,’ Victor says. ‘Probably more. Actually, you probably don’t need the list.’ He’s babbling and he knows it. He was a chef, wasn’t he? Weren’t they supposed to be calm in stressful situations? Was this a stressful situation? ‘Chris told me you used to have a dog, so you already know how to look after one, obviously.’

A slightly pained look crosses Yuuri’s face. Did Victor say something wrong already?

‘I’ll use the list. Please don’t worry over us,’ Yuuri says after a moment.

‘Well, I’ve got to go to work now,’ Victor says, wanting nothing more than to stay at home. Preferably chatting to Yuuri Katsuki. ‘I’ve left you the spare key.’

‘It’s on the list,’ Yuuri says. The half-smile is back. This time, Victor does smile back.

And then Victor is gone, driving away to work.

oOo

At work, all Victor can think about is Yuuri and Makkachin. Would they even get along? He groans, staring at the paperwork in front of him. Shouldn’t he have introduced them first? What if Makkachin didn’t even like Yuuri?

That’s silly, Victor thinks. How could he _not_ like Yuuri?

Though, he thinks again, he probably shouldn’t make judgements based on looks alone. What if Yuuri is a serial dog killer? He shakes his head. He doubts Chris would have made friends with someone who kills dogs for a living.

Even if Chris does prefer cats.

Anyway, he trusts his friend to make the right decision.

Victor tries to pull his mind away from Yuuri and back on to his work.

It doesn’t really work.

Instead, he ignores his paperwork, even if Yakov will yell at him later for it, and heads into the kitchen.

This.

This is where he’s in his element. Why he ever took the position as head chef to begin with escapes him at the moment, but it doesn’t matter when he’s got food in front of him with people waiting to be fed.

He flits around the kitchen, making adjustments to preparations here and there, encouraging the assistants, making jokes to relax the team. He plates up with a flourish and goes over to Yurio, the waiter, who hated being called Yurio but somehow it had stuck anyway.

‘It’s _Yuri_ , not Yurio, you jerk.’

But Victor grins and passes him the plates, and Yurio just rolls his eyes and carries on like Victor doesn’t exist.

When the shift comes to close, he waits for Yurio outside, as per their usual arrangement. Victor had known the Plisetsky family for quite some time, and he and Yurio had always been friends. Not that the boy would ever admit to it. But it was only natural for Victor to give him a ride home, since their shifts finished so late.

That was another good thing about Yuuri. He’d been open to any hours, which the previous dog walker had been unable to do, only giving Makkachin a walk once a day. Yuuri had agreed to sit in with Makkachin all the while Victor was at work. God knew, Makkachin needed it. He loved, no, he _lived_ for company, and having someone as cute as Yuuri look after him was only a bonus.

‘You’re daydreaming. Hurry up, I want to get home,’ Yurio said, walking past him to Victor’s car.

‘I got a new dog sitter today. He’s called Yuuri,’ Victor said, as they both got in the car. What he wants to say is, did you see what he looked like? All soulful brown eyes, wrapped up in that cute scarf, and fluffy dark hair. All he ends up saying was, ‘He seems nice.’

Which is lame. And an understatement.

Such an understatement, in fact, that even Yurio realises it.

‘You’re blushing,’ he says, and judging from his expression, he’s clearly not impressed. ‘You only met him for, what, five minutes?’

Ouch.

Well, maybe it’s true. Maybe Victor is being superficial.

But he feels like those five minutes were enough. Especially since Yuuri had agreed to look after a stranger’s dog. In Victor’s own house, no less. Did dog sitters usually do that? Victor doesn’t know. Maybe he should have looked up about it a little before jumping into his decision.

Wait. What if Yuuri thought _he_ was a serial killer? Maybe that’s what he thought he did, lure people into his house using Makkachin and–

He shakes his head. Why is he even on this track about serial killers to begin with? Yurio is looking at him strangely as he pulls up to his house.

‘Alright, I’m going,’ Yurio says. ‘Have fun with your new dog sitter, or whatever.’

oOo

Phichit is wearing a sly grin as he approaches him. Yuuri, on his laptop looking for jobs, looks up at him and grimaces.

‘I know that look,’ he says. ‘What happened?’

‘So, you know Victor Nikiforov,’ Phichit says. Yuuri looks pointedly at him. ‘Well, he’s looking for a dog sitter. Strange hours, but that doesn’t make any difference to you.’

‘To me? Why would it matter to me? And where did you hear this anyway? Instagram?’ Even as he says it, that sounds odd. Victor Nikiforov wouldn’t exactly advertise a job like that on Instagram, of all places. All he posts on that account is food, anyway.

Besides, Phichit knows better than to talk about this in front of him. Not about Victor, since Yuuri knows he’s talked about him to Phichit over the whole time he’s known him, obsessing over different cooking shows he’s been a part of. No, not that, but about the dog sitting. It’s only been a year since Vicchan had died.

But wait, Phichit had said the strange hours didn’t matter. _To him._

‘Phichit, what have you done?’ Yuuri asks slowly, but then he shakes his head. Of course, he hasn’t done anything. That would be ridiculous. Yuuri knows as well as Phichit that neither of them would ever be able to get into contact with someone like Victor.

‘Chris told me,’ Phichit said, looking very pleased with himself. ‘Apparently, he’s friends with Victor.’

‘Friends with Victor?’ Yuuri splutters. Phichit nods. ‘I didn’t know that.’

‘Neither did I. But I put in a good word with him.’

‘What do you mean, a good word?’ This can’t be real, Phichit is probably just playing a prank on him. Though he knows his friend knows better than to play with something so close to his heart.

‘I mean, Yuuri, that you are now officially Victor Nikiforov’s dog sitter.’

Yuuri’s mouth drops open. He can’t be serious. But Phichit isn’t usually one to lie, so… is this real? He asks him again, and Phichit affirms it. His heart is pounding, his hands are clammy with sweat.

‘Phichit, I–‘ But he doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t quite have a full grasp on the situation yet. His friend’s smile falters, just for a second.

‘Oh, Yuuri, I’m sorry. I just thought since you liked him so much it’d be a great chance for you. And it’d be a way for you to get used to being around dogs again.’

‘I know,’ Yuuri says. ‘I know you were just thinking of me.’ And he does, he says that last part truthfully. Phichit always has his best interests at heart.

‘I can mention it to Chris that something came up, if you want.’

But he can’t back out on a promise now. Especially if it’s work. He already feels bad enough rooming with Phichit with no job in sight as it is. So, Yuuri takes a deep breath, and speaks.

‘I’ll do it.’

oOo

Yuuri’s last words were a lot more confident than he feels now. When he arrives at Victor Nikiforov’s house, it’s just as he expected. Tall, grandiose, and very, very intimidating. Inside, it’s not much better, and Yuuri feels like he’s not meant to be here.

Victor himself, he doesn’t remember too much about, since he was busy trying to look at his own shoes rather in the face of who he considered his idol.

Yuuri looks at the list again, and then realises half of it is for him as well as for Makkachin.  It details all the available snacks, how to use the television…. All things Yuuri would be mortified to do. He’s in stranger’s house, even if that stranger is Victor Nikiforov.

He doesn’t know much about what dog sitters actually do, but he knows how to look after a dog. Tentatively, he calls Makkachin’s name, and he hears a scuffle from upstairs, then thumps as the poodle makes his way downstairs. He barrels straight for Yuuri, and he waits for him to stop, or slow down.

He doesn’t.

There’s a moment where Yuuri sees his life flash before his eyes as about sixty pounds of poodle collapses on top of him like a deadweight. As they drop to the floor, Yuuri is besieged by sloppy kisses. He laughs and tries to turn his head away, but Makkachin follows him. Eventually, Makkachin stops, tilting his head and looking very proud of himself.

‘You look just like Vicchan,’ Yuuri says, patting the top of his head. His smile fades, just a little, before he realises that this is a good thing. Familiar. ‘I guess we should take you for a walk.’ Makkachin’s ears perk up at the mention of the last word, and he gets up off of Yuuri and heads away to the back of the house, leading him towards his collar and lead.

oOo

At the park, Makkachin trots quietly at his side, even when Yuuri releases him from the lead. As they walk around, Yuuri wonders just how Christophe knows Victor. He’d ask, but he doesn’t want to seem odd. Doesn’t want to expose the fact that he actually looks up to Victor.

The only reason he was doing this was because Phichit had already promised. There’s something eating away at his stomach, too. What about when Victor gets home? What if he wants to talk? What if Yuuri started babbling about how many cooking shows he’d seen him in? He knows that he’s taking a break from that sort of thing to get his restaurant on the road as head chef. God, he knows far too much to play it casual.

Yuuri sits down on a nearby bench and puts his head in his hands, trying to get a hold on his breathing, which is going far too fast for his liking. Suddenly, Makkachin presses up against his leg, looking at him steadily. It calms Yuuri down instantly, and he smiles down at the poodle, who gives him a reassuring lick on his hand.

The feeling of anxiety is not gone, but lessened enough for him to get up and resume his walk around the park.

oOo

By the time Victor gets home, the overwhelming tiredness has dropped on to him like a ten-ton weight.

But it seems to disappear when he sees the sight in front of him.

Yuuri hasn’t noticed him, not yet, and he’s playing tug-of-war with Makkachin in the middle of the living room. Makkachin’s tail is wagging at high speed, and Yuuri is laughing as the dog drags him around the carpet. But he holds desperately on, anyway.

His laugh makes Victor feel light in his chest, and it’s infectious. Yuuri looks up instantly, dropping the rope and standing up.

‘Sorry,’ he says, a little out of breath. His cheeks are flushed, and so are the tips of his ears. Cute. ‘I didn’t hear you come in.’

‘That’s alright, don’t let me stop your fun. I’m glad Makkachin seems to like you.’

Yuuri goes to put on his shoes, and grabs his coat and scarf.

‘I guess I should be going,’ Yuuri mumbles, and he moves past Victor to grab his so he’s standing outside.

‘Wait, I have to pay you,’ Victor says, and he wishes he could have just said Yuuri should stay for a while. Yuuri looks surprised, as if he’s completely forgotten that he’s actually supposed to be paid for the work. ‘Um, how much am I supposed to give you?’

Yuuri bites his lip. Which, Victor thinks, is adorable.

‘I’m not sure. I haven’t really done this before.’

‘Will this do?’ Victor says, reaching in his wallet for a wad of cash. He hasn’t even counted it. Yuuri’s eyes widen.

‘I can’t – you can’t… That’s too much,’ Yuuri stutters. He looks pained, and Victor severely wishes he’d counted it now. It is a little bit ridiculous, he thinks, looking at the money in his hand. He puts some of it back, and hands it to Yuuri, who’s still looking at him like he’s got antennas sprouting out of his head.

Probably not the best time to ask him if he’d like to grab a coffee with him sometime, then.

Yuuri mumbles a sincere thank-you, bowing his head as he does so, and then he’s gone, out into the night.

Victor looks inside, and Makkachin is as dejected as he feels.

‘Did I screw up, Makkachin?’ Victor says, and he lets out a small whine. At least he’s mentioned what days Yuuri will have to work when he told Chris about this in the first place. So, hopefully, Yuuri will come back tomorrow.

Unless Victor has successfully scared him off. He closes the front door, having already let enough cold air in, and lies down on the floor next to Makkachin. His pet already knows what to do, stretching himself out and pressing himself up against Victor, comforting him in his time of distress.

Is it really distress he’s feeling?

Like Yurio had said, he’s only known Yuuri for all of five, maybe ten minutes. But Makkachin seems to like him, adore him, actually, and Victor supposes he can’t get a better judge of personality than from his own dog.

He groans and buries his face in Makkachin’s fur. Maybe, tomorrow, he would show Yuuri properly around his house. Make him feel more at home. After all, he’d be spending his working days here, so there’d be no time like the present for Yuuri to get used to it.

If Yuuri comes back, that is.

oOo

‘So,’ Phichit asks, as soon as Yuuri is through the door into their flat. ‘How was it? Did you get to speak to him? Is he like how he is on TV? What–‘

‘Phichit, I only spoke to him for about five minutes, total,’ Yuuri sighs. ‘I couldn’t really tell.’

‘But he did seem nice, right?’

‘… Yeah.’

Phichit grins and nudges Yuuri with his shoulder, and Yuuri has to smile in response.

‘You’re totally going back tomorrow, right?’

Yuuri nods, and they go over to sit on the couch, planning to spend the rest of the evening playing games together.

He’s distracted, though, and he can’t stop thinking about what Victor looks like. He’d caught a good glimpse of him when he was handing the money over, and he just seemed more… human. Away from the spotlights of the kitchen, not talking to his cooking partners in that charismatic voice of his, Victor appeared to be ordinary.

Which is ridiculous.

Because Victor Nikiforov is anything but.

And Yuuri can’t deny he’s harboured a crush on him since he first discovered him on an amateur cooking show.

Which is also ridiculous.

Because Yuuri doesn’t exactly have a chance when it comes to that kind of thing.

But then again, he has ended up becoming his dog sitter. So, maybe…

Yuuri quashes that thought before it goes any further. Because it’s a bad thought to have. He pulls his mind away from Victor and concentrates back on the game, which Phichit is beating him at by a wide margin.

There’s no way Victor would like someone like him, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg you guys, thanks for the response on the first chapter! It really got me motivated to write more! Sorry if it took a little longer to get this chapter out, I moved house -_-
> 
> I also prefer writing shorter chapters, because it means I can get them out faster. Honestly, I'm kind of a slow writer, so it's better for you guys if I do it this way.
> 
> I also took out the slow burn tag, because I guess it isn't going to be what I consider a slow burn (and I mean, have you seen Victor? He doesn't know the concept of subtlety when it comes to Yuuri Katsuki)

Victor is inordinately glad when he hears those three taps on the door. This time, Makkachin is by his side in an instant, and watches as Victor makes sure he looks okay in the mirror.

He’s definitely not been waiting in the entrance hall for the past hour, even though Yuuri knows what time to get here. Anyway, Yuuri isn’t exactly going to get here any earlier than he needs to be, since what would be the point?

He pings Yurio and Christophe a quick text – _he came back! –_ and goes to open the door.

Yuuri is still wrapped up in his scarf and gloves, blue glasses slightly steamed up from the warmth his clothes provide. This time though, Victor is ready. He’s not going to fumble his words like a high school kid with a crush.

Even if that’s totally what he feels like at this point in time.

‘Yuuri,’ he says, drawing it out slightly. ‘I can’t do it now, but when I get back from work, I’ll show you around the house, okay? You’ll be spending a lot of time here, so I guess it’s better that you feel more comfortable.’

With that said, Yuuri nods, though Victor can’t quite fathom the expression he’s got on his face.

Suddenly, the poodle welcome wagon decides to make his appearance, bursting through the door. Victor notices that as soon as Yuuri sees Makkachin he braces himself, and as the dog presses his paws on Yuuri’s shoulders, the man is surprisingly steady.

‘Hello, Makkachin,’ Yuuri smiles. Victor smiles too, though he can’t help but feel a small jab of jealousy when he remembers this was how Makkachin began to greet him only after a week together. Yuuri had managed it in a day. ‘Ready for another day together?’

‘You two have fun,’ Victor says, dearly wishing that Yuuri was saying those words to him instead of his dog. ‘Someone’s got to go to work.’

oOo

Yuuri watches as Victor leaves, wishing he had the confidence to speak to him directly rather than just talking to Makkachin. Though, he supposes it’s a start. Anyway, his mind can’t get off the fact that Victor had said “ _you’ll be spending a lot of time here.”_ Does that mean that Victor actually wants him to stay? Even though he’s probably meant it as Makkachin’s dog sitter, that also means Victor has obviously seen something in him that he likes.

Didn’t it?

Yuuri shakes his head as he follows Makkachin indoors, closing the front door behind him. It’s useless to think like that, since this is Victor Nikiforov he’s talking about. Famous chef Victor Nikiforov. Basically a celebrity Victor Nikiforov.

_Not_ just plain old Victor.

He isn’t going to look at Yuuri any differently than he is at other normal people. Normal people are below someone like him, anyway. Not that Yuuri think Victor views him as beneath him… Just that Yuuri isn’t anything special, and they both know that.

Just because he’s his dog sitter doesn’t mean Victor is going to think any differently.

Years of watching him on TV has put ideas in his head about the man that he knows probably won’t hold up under a normal light. He doesn’t know Victor any better than Victor’s friends just because he’s watched him on every single cooking programme he’s been in, read every single cookbook he’s brought out, practised cooking in the kitchen to just gain even a smidgen of understanding about how Victor’s life would work.

He’s just a fan, as much as he’d like to get to know Victor better, he knows there’s little chance for it. He’s here to look after Makkachin, no matter how strange the circumstances are around the situation.

Yuuri’s taken some time to look up how this dog business works. And he’d found, unsurprisingly, that most people don’t go around to the house where the dog lives. In reality, Makkachin should have come to Yuuri’s place.

And Yuuri is sure that Phichit would absolutely love this fact. So he hasn’t quite told him that’s a potential possibility yet. Not that he’s even sure Victor would allow it. The list is quite extensive after all, and Yuuri doesn’t want Victor to have gone to all that trouble for him for nothing. He still has it folded up in his trouser pocket for reference.

He wonders why Victor even asked Chris in the first place. Yuuri’s sure that Victor has plenty of friends that can take care of Makkachin, enough that he doesn’t have to ask a total stranger to do it. They can’t all have been unable to do the job.

To be honest, Yuuri still feels guilty that he’s getting paid for what basically amounts to lounging around in someone else’s house while they’re at work. Sure, Makkachin really, _really_ loves company, as shown by the way he’s now spread out on Yuuri’s lap, eyes closed and making happy snuffling sounds, but surely Yuuri could have just come to take him for a walk and leave it at that.

But then he remembers Vicchan, who couldn’t abide being left alone for even the slightest second, who followed around Yuuri like a second shadow. Maybe this is for the best. He certainly doesn’t want Makkachin to be pining all day, so Victor must feel the same. Yuuri feels like he’s already gotten quite close to Makkachin.

He just wishes that he could get a little closer to Victor, too.

oOo

‘Something’s on your mind,’ Mila, Victor’s sous chef, says. ‘You haven’t been doing your paperwork.’

‘Does he ever?’ Sara says.

‘Hey, I’m not that bad,’ Victor replies. ‘Who told you, anyway?’

‘What, you haven’t heard Yakov going on about it?’ Mila says.

Victor suddenly remembers the ignored text messages and phone calls. He quickly pushes them to the back of his mind. Talking about Yuuri is more important, anyway.

‘Okay, so I got a new dog sitter–‘ he starts, but then Yurio comes in and groans.

‘Oh god, who got him started on this? He’s not shut up about this guy. Keeps texting me about him, it’s gross, is what it is.’

‘That bad, huh?’ Mila says, and Victor pouts.

‘Do I not get to talk about Yuuri now?’

‘Well, I want to hear about him,’ Mila says, and Sara nods.

‘I’m glad I don’t have to stay in this kitchen,’ Yurio mutters, taking the plates and leaving with a roll of his eyes.

While they work, Victor details what he likes about Yuuri. Which is basically everything he knows about him, really. Which isn’t much, but Victor ignores that fact and talks about him anyway.

‘So,’ Sara says, ‘you know how he looks. And that he’s nice.’

‘Very.’

‘But that’s it?’ Mila says, incredulous.

Victor pauses what he’s doing for a moment and thinks. Really, Mila and Sara are right. That’s it, and yet Yuuri is still at the forefront of his mind, right from when he met him yesterday. But isn’t the little detail he’s got enough? Victor thinks so, at least for now, while he’s at work. He’s got the opportunity to get to know Yuuri better when he gets home. He did promise to show him around the house, after all.

‘I’ll get to know him better,’ Victor reassures them both. As much as it pains him to admit that he doesn’t _actually_ know that much about Yuuri, that doesn’t make his feelings any less clear. Even if Mila and Sara don’t really believe him yet.

Maybe he will ask Yuuri out for that coffee.

oOo

Yurio has told Victor he’s making his own way home, so while in the car, he phones up Chris. If anyone will believe him, it’ll be Christophe. His friend’s voice comes through the speaker as clear as day, leaving Victor to focus on the road.

‘What’s up?’ Chris asks. ‘You never call after work. Is this about Yuuri?’

‘How did you guess?’

‘Well, the fact you haven’t stopped texting me about him since last night gives me a bit of a clue, Victor.’

‘Am I that obvious?’ Victor laughs. ‘Anyway, I was going to ask him out for a coffee. I just wanted to tell you, because Yurio isn’t answering my texts.’

‘Victor, I don’t know Yuuri too well, but I know him a little more than you. It might be better for you to wait. Take things more slowly.’

‘I’ve known him for at least two days. Isn’t that enough?’ Victor says, but even as he does so he realises that maybe it is too soon. Especially because he’s really only seen Yuuri for about fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.

‘Sure, if you’re going to be as subtle as a freight train. Yuuri doesn’t seem the type to be appreciative of your way of doing things. At least, that’s what I’ve gathered from what Phichit’s told me about him.’

‘Phichit?’

‘Yuuri’s friend. Best friend, I think. They live together. Anyway, Victor, just… don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’

‘That isn’t saying much, Chris,’ Victor says, and Chris laughs.

‘You know what I mean. Just get to know the guy a little first. Let him warm up to you.’

They say their goodbyes after that, and the speaker turns back to the music playing on Victor’s phone.

As Victor pulls into the driveway, he can see the living room light is on, but as he opens the front door, Yuuri is already stood there, Makkachin by his side.

‘Hi,’ Victor says, trying to subdue the urge to ask Yuuri out for a date. It’s quite overwhelming, but he manages it.

Just.

‘You…’ Yuuri says, seeming unsure of himself. ‘You were going to show me around the house, right?’

‘Yeah!’ Victor smiles. ‘I was, wasn’t I? Though I guess you would have seen most of it already, I’m sure you’ve explored it a bit.’

‘Actually, I haven’t really left the main hall or the living room,’ Yuuri says, looking down at the floor. Victor frowns.

‘You did read the list, didn’t you?’

‘Oh, of course,’ Yuuri says, rushing to correct him. ‘I just guess I’m not comfortable here yet.’

‘Which is why,’ Victor says, smiling, ‘I’m going to show you around. See? It all works out.’

This earns him a smile off Yuuri, which Victor counts as a small victory.

oOo

They move through the ground floor of the house, and Yuuri realises there’s many more rooms than he’d expected. There’s two more reception rooms, a games room, and what is clearly Victor’s pride and joy – the kitchen.

It’s absolutely ginormous, but it has a homely, if modern feel to it. The work spaces are all wood tops, and the drawers are all cream. It gives it a country kitchen vibe, if the country kitchen was the size of the whole cottage. Being used to the cramped galley kitchen that he and Phichit share, Yuuri realises they can probably fit their whole flat in Victor’s kitchen alone, which is a little bit of a daunting thought. 

Okay, maybe that’s overstretching it a bit, but still. Who needed this much space?

Though, Yuuri thinks, Victor probably has people over all the time, so he needs a good entertaining space for his days off work.

‘You can use everything in the fridge, if you want to fix yourself something to eat,’ Victor says, and Yuuri nods, still a little awestruck. Even the fridge is double the size of the old thing he and Phichit use.

Suddenly, Victor’s phone goes off, and he apologises as he answers it.

‘Hi, Yakov.’

The conversation is long, and Yuuri is beginning to feel awkward, stood in this giant kitchen. Makkachin takes his leave from where he’d been sat and comes over to him, pressing himself against his side.

Victor’s expression is subtly changing as he speaks to Yakov, who, Yuuri knows, is the owner of the restaurant Victor works at. Unfortunately, his expression is cloudy, and he’s beginning to pace.

‘Fine… okay. I’ll do it,’ Victor says. ‘As long as you can find someone to fill my position in such short notice. You have already? Alright, then.’ His last words are a little bitter, Yuuri can tell. Victor hangs up, a frown crossing his features for a split second before a just about convincing enough smile takes its place. ‘Sorry about that, it was just Yakov.’

‘What did he want?’

‘Just… well, I do cooking programs as well as the restaurant thing.’

‘Oh, right,’ Yuuri is nodding, hopefully looking more convincing than Victor’s smile.

‘Yakov’s been notified of a new one, where more experienced chefs take part in a competition.’

Victor looks anything but pleased, he can see it in his eyes. Yuuri feels a little confused, though. Victor always seems in his element when he does shows like that. Sure, it’s been a while since he’s done one, but that’s because he has the restaurant to run.

Isn’t it?

Yuuri’s not so sure anymore.

But he can’t do anything about it. It’s not exactly his place to make a comment. Especially if Victor is doing his level best to look like he’s looking forward to whatever this show is.

‘Maybe I should get going,’ Yuuri says, and Victor snaps out of the reverie he’s in.

‘Oh, you’ve got my phone number, haven’t you?’ Victor asks, and he nods. ‘But I don’t have yours.’ Yuuri’s heart starts to beat a little faster. ‘Just in case I’m late on a shift or something.’

Ah, that makes more sense.

Yuuri tells him his number, and Victor saves it into his phone. He walks Yuuri to the front door, Makkachin following closely behind, and then Yuuri is heading home, doing his best not to look back at the house.

oOo

‘You got Victor’s number?’ Phichit almost shouts as Yuuri relays him the events of the day.

‘He’s also doing another cooking show.’

‘That’s not important, Yuuri. What’s important is that you’ve got Victor Nikiforov’s number.’

Suddenly, Yuuri’s phone buzzes, and Phichit’s eyes light up.

‘Answer it, answer it! I bet you any money it’s him.’

‘It can’t be,’ Yuuri says. ‘Why would he even need to text me?’

But then he looks at his phone, and it _is_ from Victor. His breath catches in his throat, and Phichit leans over his shoulder to get a better look at it. When Yuuri taps the icon, it brings up a photo of a sad looking Makkachin.

_He misses you already :(_

Phichit’s heart melts.

‘He looks just like Vicchan. Why didn’t you tell me he was this cute?’

‘I didn’t really think it was that important.’

‘Priorities, Yuuri,’ Phichit says, shaking his head. But Yuuri is already lost in a haze. Why does he want to text him, of all people? Why–

But Phichit’s shaking him, casting him out of his thoughts.

‘You’ve got to text him back.’

Yuuri nods, and focuses on the screen, willing an answer to come up to him.

_Tell him I’m coming back tomorrow._

The reply is almost instantaneous.

_You are? Great! But I don’t think Makkachin understands. He still looks all mopey._

_If you give him a treat to cheer him up, tell him it’s from me._

Victor sends another picture, this time of Makkachin with a stick of something in his mouth. Victor is lay alongside his pet on the floor, a soft smile on his face. Better than the fake one he was wearing before, Yuuri thinks. Underneath, he writes another message.

_There, much better._

‘He totally didn’t need to send that picture of himself,’ Phichit laughs. ‘Yuuri, he’s totally into you.’

‘What?’ Yuuri splutters. ‘Phichit, he is not.’

‘Then why did he text you as soon as he got your number? _I_ think he’s setting you up for a date.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Yuuri laughs, but Phichit shakes his head.

‘I mean it, Yuuri. Victor Nikiforov totally has a crush on you.’

‘He does not.’

‘Does too.’

Yuuri rolls his eyes, but he feels lighter in himself. If Phichit is right, what could he even do about it? The gulf between them is too deep, Victor leads an entirely different life than someone like Yuuri does. He has lots of friends, a successful career, what appears to be the perfect life for someone as vivacious as him. Yuuri has Phichit and his family back home in Japan, and no career to speak of, apart from the whole dog sitting thing, if he can even call that a business. His life is far from perfect.

Though from what he’s seen from Victor’s expression today, maybe his life isn’t as perfect as it all seems.

But again, it’s not his place to question something like that.

He and Phichit order a pizza, both too worn out to cook anything proper, Yuuri from thinking too much, and Phichit from his day at work in the shop. It only males Yuuri feel mildly guilty as he pays the guy at the door when he remembers how huge the kitchen at Victor’s is, and how he’s probably in there preparing some extravagant meal for himself, while he and Phichit slob around eating pizza and play video games.

oOo

Victor is busy phoning his favourite Chinese takeout place as he thinks about what Yakov has told him.

The fault doesn’t really lie with anyone, really. If anything, it’s the representative who called Yakov in the first place. Victor’s heard of the programme before, called _Under Heat_ , where the supposed best of the best chefs compete to see who can cook the most innovative foods. He’s not sure why they’ve contacted him, of all people, though.

When his food arrives, Makkachin ever close by with the hopes of grabbing even just a morsel, Victor takes it over to the couch and eats it out of the box, switching on the TV and flipping through Netflix for a suitably horrendous film that somehow managed to get on there. This is what most of his nights have been like, recently, and it’s starting to get a little stale.

Maybe that’s an underestimate.

But then he looks at the texts that Yuuri sent him a while ago, and smiles.

If anything, he’s got a chance for a fresh start here.


End file.
